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Tuesday, 31 December 2013

Current Doctor's companion Clara has been around for a while now, yet I still feel like I don't really know her. My friend Ginge is always saying that Moffat is rubbish at writing girls and maybe she's right. What I do like about Clara, though, is how she dresses. Her style is typical of a young British woman but it's that normalness that I find quite cute. She wears this outfit in The Rings of Akhaten, which you can find screenshots of here.

Sunday, 29 December 2013

Bloggers I follow have all been doing these outfit review posts for the year, and I got jealous. I've not really looked back on the stuff I wear before, so it's been quite interesting picking my favourite outfits from 2013.

At the beginning of the year we had some snow, which was fun, and I was already getting a lot of wear out of some new purchases, like the £12 boots from Clarks I couldn't walk away from, and the embroidered skinny jeans I bought over the *gasp* internet. I've had these jeans for almost a year and people still compliment me on them.

Through the summer months I was unsurprisingly still wearing boots. I remember in June going to one of my summer exams in my tartan skirt and knee-high socks and wondering to myself why I even bother dressing up for an exam. (But I got 'A's so it's all good.) By August I had DIYed another pair of shorts from jeans, which I'm sure will be a staple for summers to come.

These last few months have been pretty stressful because of uni applications and interviews - and it's not even over yet. To compensate, I've been in a lot of busy prints, wearing the hell out of my floral skirt with the trim I added. I'm scared of going to uni and having to do hard scary stuff and growing up, but at least I can still dress like the kid I am, at least for now.

Friday, 27 December 2013

How was your Christmas? Mine was perfectly pleasant, even though Doctor Who was rubbish. I look forward to Capaldi and I really hope M- I mean Clara gets a personality soon.

I've been shopping recently and I got some cool knee-high animal socks from the Next sale (my sister and I have gotten into a tradition of getting up early(ish) for it) and some mustard yellow tights from H&M (so I can cosplay Amy Pond in Let's Kill Hitler which was on TV in the past month or two) and a denim pinafore dress (because I watched Despicable Me 2 again with my sister and now I want to be a minion.) The pinafore has nasty PU straps but it was £5 and it's just for cosplaying. I'm hoping to get some pretty ribbon and make removable covers for the straps, and I will also make some kind of Gru emblem, probably from felt, to pin onto the pocket at the front.

pinafore dress: Primark

We stopped in Costa for cappuccino and in the queue my sister heard someone say, "did you watch the Sherlock preview episode on Christmas day?" Just in case you missed this too, here is the video, called Many Happy Returns. I'm really looking forward to new Sherlock!

Tuesday, 24 December 2013

If I've learnt anything from chemistry, it's this: water is amazing. Before, I've talked about it in the cohesion-tension theory in which plants use its polarity to draw it up from the ground, but since it's winter, I'm going to try to explain why snowflakes are six-sided.

A water molecule is made up of two hydrogen atoms attached to one oxygen atom. The hydrogens repel to get as far away as possible from each other, but because of the configuration of the electrons around the oxygen, a water molecule isn't just a straight line.

water molecule from Chemical Forums
The crosses and dots represent electrons. The pairs of electrons are all negative,
so repel to get as far away as possible from each other.

The water molecule is what we call a 'bent' or 'V-shaped' molecule, and the angle between the two hydrogens is a bit less than 109°, the angle inside a tetrahedron.

Water molecules can form hydrogen bonds between themselves, which accounts for many of the characteristics of water. A hydrogen is attracted to the lone pair of electrons on the oxygen of a different molecule. One water molecule can form hydrogen bonds with four other molecules to form that crucial tetrahedral shape. Together, the molecules of water in ice form a tetrahedral structure.

Sunday, 22 December 2013

From tomorrow, everything is going to get crazy. My sister's family and their in-laws are spending a few days at our house and it will be Such Fun and somehow I will make it through this. The tree has been up since the beginning of this week, decorated by some new LED flashing lights that my dad unexpectedly bought. I asked him if he was jealous of all the neighbours' flashing displays. He said "not any more."

We've had the same tree and decorations for literally as long as I can remember. They aren't posh but they are familiar. I also cut out some intricate paper snowflakes to decorate my parents' bedroom with. Six-pointed, obviously - I like my snowflakes to be scientifically correct as possible.

This morning I also made some strawberry and blueberry muffins. They're pretty good, though they stick to the paper cases rather a lot, which is annoying. I don't know if oiling the inside of the cases will help with that?? I was adventurous and went with a recipe in a cookbook my friend S gave me so they taste totally different to my normal cake, so that's exciting.

Yesterday I went with a couple of quartet friends to a Christmas market, which was a lovely day out. I didn't really buy anything but I really enjoyed spending time with cool people. So all in all I'm enjoying my weekend of calm. I hope you are too.

Friday, 20 December 2013

This is the red hat I was on about a while ago. I really like this outfit because it's easy and simple, without my usual excessive layering. (I love layering but it's liberating wearing just one skirt at a time instead of three.)

I'm off for Christmas now, though I have a lot of work to do - chemistry coursework, English essays, and revision for exams in summer. If we were allowed to do January exams, I would have three exams next month and five exams in the summer. Instead I have all eight at the end of the academic year and it worries me a lot. Though not as much as whether I am going to get an offer, ha!

It's been a cold but sunny day, so to try and cheer myself up I had a surprisingly fruitful wander around town by myself, trawling the market, discount shops and charity shops. I found a lot of things I was looking for, and everything I bought was £2 or less.

Marksman mini round-nosed plier to bend paperclips or any other wire I can find into jewellery like ear cuffs and rings.

Revlon Chroma Chameleon nail polish in Amethyst was from Poundland (but you can cough up £6.49 for it if you really want), and it's a lovely shade of greyish purple, though it photographed terribly. It shines green in the light just a tiny bit in the bottle, but I'll see how it looks on the nails when I try it out some time.

Gregory Maguire - Wicked inspired the musical which I was lucky enough to go down to London to see, and it's never in the library so I bought it.

Frank Herbert - Dune I've heard is excellent, and seeing as I've been going through a sci-fi phase recently, I've been looking round for it. I can only find its sequels in the library so I gasped when I saw it in British Heart Foundation.

Rebecca Skloot - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks I picked up because I thought I had heard the name 'Henrietta Lacks' before. It must have been New Scientist, because Lacks is the source of the immortal cell line, HeLa. There are ethical issues surrounding the use of her cells, but apart from that I know nothing more about it, so this could be an informative read.

So what's worrying you over Christmas, and how are you dealing with it?

Thursday, 19 December 2013

For today, I have for you a quick interview with Polish blogger Katie Frank. Perhaps you've seen her around on Lookbook or on her bilingual Polish/English blog, Coeurs de Foxes? She even appropriately has lots of cool fox jewellery and fox bags, though her soulmate is her black and white cat, Marcel. I adore her quirky and creative style so it's lovely to have her here.

Hey, Katie! What are three things we should know about you?
I'm a dreamer, I think too much and I'm a tea lover.

How has your style developed into what it is now?
Huh, I guess you shouldn't ask me - I have no idea. I had many random styles but I guess this one I have now is mixed with many styles and it makes it my own.

Which of your looks is your personal favourite at the moment?
I guess this one (pictured above), and this. It's all me!Who are your fashion icons and inspirations?Alexa Chung, definitely her. I also love Lana Del Rey, Lorde and Lea Seydoux.

What do you think of the street fashion where you live?I think it's terrible! People don't know how to wear clothes. Even if they wear something fashionable it's wrongly matched with other pieces of clothes.

What do you love most about your favourite city, Paris?I do love everything! The fashion, food, views, language, people, music, just everything.

Tuesday, 17 December 2013

If you try to search up what otome kei is, you'll get some quite vague answers. It's apparently all about dressing like a 'young lady', but that hardly means anything at all. Rather than assume no one knows what they're talking about, it's a lot easier to check out Google images instead to see for yourself.

Otome kei's not easy to pin down because it doesn't have such strict rules like lolita. You could say otome kei is basically lolita without the rules, without the Victorian influence, and with less petticoats. It's instead characterised by a cute but modern aesthetic that often uses interesting prints and quirky motifs like rabbits and cake and biscuits. One of my favourite things about this style is the eclectic pattern-clashing, which takes some confidence to pull off, but looks creative and fun. Stripes, polka-dots, chequers and flowers are just everywhere, and I love it.

Saturday, 14 December 2013

Restyle is an alternative fashion web shop based in Poland. The site's language can be toggled between Polish and English. They sell items of a gothic style, including some gothic lolita things. I first came across the site because of this amazing skirt they have.

The website is a pretty standard design, and is easy to use. I especially like how the availability of items is displayed as a green health bar. The English is not perfect but perfectly understandable. Imperfect English can ring alarm bells but some internet searches on Restyle.pl revealed it to be a legit website.

Restyle stocks lots of nice bags, but my favourite is definitely the violin bag. As a follower of lolita fashion I've always known about violin bags, but what tipped me over the edge of self-restraint was a picture of someone with a violin bag that had a shoulder strap on it. (I'm not really into handbags and much prefer across-the-shoulder bags.) I originally was looking for a black violin bag, but the detailing on it is grey which makes it harder to match things with. The brown one has a nicer colour scheme, is more like a real violin, and is just more aesthetically pleasing as an accessory on its own.

Price
The bag itself was £27.61. Because it came from Poland the shipping was pretty steep: £8.76 by priority registered letter. Then there's the 4.5% Paypal Charge, which was £1.71, but it is the most secure way to pay. In total it was £38.08. Quite expensive for a non-leather handbag so you'd have to really like the design to cough up for it.

Shipping
I placed my order on Friday evening, and the site estimated that I would get my package in 8 days. In fact, it came on Wednesday evening, which was 5 days after I ordered it, which is quite impressive seeing as it's so near Christmas and the postal services must be quite busy at the moment.

Packaging
It came in a clear plastic bag inside a brown cardboard box. The website gives its dimensions (30x30x8cm) but it was still larger than I expected, because of all the pictures of other violin bags I've been looking at. Inside the bag itself was the shoulder strap, some brown polka-dot stuffing paper, and a packet of silica gel. The bag had a Restyle tag on it, and inside the box was a receipt thingy and a Restyle flyer.

Product

The black inside lining of the bag is not attached to the outside of the bag.

The metal parts of the bag, like the zip pull and the clasps and things, would have looked nicer if they were a dull gold or bronze colour.

Though the bag looks quite big, its volume is not, so you can only store small or flat things in it.

There are some loose thread ends on the embroidery.

At the sides, the edge embroidery is not always perfectly at the edge.

Like all new plastic things it stinks a bit but that should wear off.

As you can see, none of these bad points are particularly bad. The quality is sufficient for all but the closest of inspections so is absolutely satisfactory, since this is what I expected anyway. The bag came in perfect condition and I'm very happy with it.

Thursday, 12 December 2013

James May said, in his programme about brains, that there isn't really a 'brain-training' game or method that actually works, except playing an instrument. For many hours over many years. Starting from childhood. As someone who's spent a lot of time on a violin, I was very happy to hear this.

I think the violin is thought of as a feminine instrument, because of its high register and hourglass shape. As well as being the hardest and most painful instrument to master, the violin is also one of the most beautiful. I don't always appreciate my violin's smooth wood, the f-holes, the curves. (The sticky white resin, the bit of yellow duster fluff stuck on the E string's adjuster, the place where my corrosive fingers are dissolving through the varnish...)

It's a reasonably common motif in lolita fashion - there are those violin bags, and many JSKs that are themed upon music and violin - but
also pops up in general fashion. Recently a package arrived in the post which I can't wait to share with you - I just need some daylight to get some pictures so I can do a detailed review - so stick around.

Tuesday, 10 December 2013

I don't like colouring. It's a pain and I'm useless at it. Occasionally I use watercolour, which is messy because it involves water, and it's a bitch to use because mistakes are indelible. I say I'm rubbish at colouring pencils because I don't own any good quality ones, but that's not strictly true. I don't have good colouring pencils that I can bring myself to use.

Melia was subject to my watercolour pencil experiment. I think she looks nice with her hair down, as it's hard to get creative with her normal hairstyle, which doesn't allow me to do billowy waves everywhere like I usually do. The advantage of pencils is that they're fuss-free - no need for water or brushes or toilet roll. I've an A3 drawing of her that I've broken out the posh watercolour pencils for but I have no idea what it'll look like if I wet it, so I may keep testing with this drawing here.

Sunday, 8 December 2013

It's been too long since the last interview I've had here. I wanted to break the dry spell with another person who wears Japanese fashion, so here is Ai, otherwise known as Lovely Blasphemy. I first found her on Lookbook, but she also has masses of pictures on her Facebook. What I love about Ai is how carefully she composes her outfits, like an artist would make a painting. From lolita to cult party kei, Ai can pull off pretty much anything.

The three things people should know about me are: 1. I'm Japanese-born and US-raised. 2. I love frenchies, pugs, and other squish-faced dogs. 3. Art history is where my heart lies.

How has your style developed into what it is now?My style is influenced by Japanese street fashion, I get a lot of inspiration from street snaps and the runway.You are so interesting to follow because you are able to pull of so many different Japanese fashion styles.

What's your favourite fashion style, and why?It's so hard to choose a favourite fashion style! I love lolita fashion but I'm getting really interested in dolly kei and cult
party kei because it allows more creativity and both handmade and
vintage finds.Which of your looks is your personal favourite at the moment?I think my personal favourite look is a cult party kei
look I did using a vintage wedding dress. Although, I still plan to work
on the outfit and make it even better. In a way, I could say that my
favourite looks are the ones I have planned that haven't
been created yet.You evidently work very hard in crafting each of your looks, and it shows. My favourite thing you've worn is definitely this knock-out ensemble. I love the colour scheme, bustle, and vertical stripes.

Who are your fashion icons and inspirations?Audrey Hepburn is my biggest fashion icon and
inspiration. I also like to follow Yuri Nakagawa, Yura, Ayumi Seto,
Rinrin Doll, Midori Fukasawa, Akira, Nora Lovely, and plenty of people I
forget the names of.

Are you involved in any local or internet lolita communities?I'm part of my local lolita community and the EGL community, although I don't participate as much as I would like.

Where are your favourite places to shop for clothes and wigs?My favorite places to shop for second-hand lolita are
Usagiyouhinten, Alice+Fururun, ClosetChild, Tokyo Alice, and the EGL
Sales Community. For wigs I like Cyperous, Prisila, Lockshop, and Gothic
Lolita Wigs. For accessories I like to look for vintage
finds either locally or on Etsy.

Friday, 6 December 2013

On the day that Pokemon X/Y came out, I bought a hat. I'm not a hat person, but this was a rather nice red wool hat which goes perfectly with my red wool skirt, and of course, all Pokemon trainers are hat people, so maybe I should learn to be a hat person after all.

Because I've had no experience with hats, I went to the internet for how to wear one. I'm not sure what kind of hat it is. An asymmetrical fedora, or a tryolean maybe? How would you wear it?

Tuesday, 3 December 2013

I don't know about you, but I am utterly useless at wearing heels casually. But maybe this is because I don't own any casual heels? Whether they are platform wedges, dainty brogues or mary janes, I adore heels in a statement colour, and red is my perfect colour to wear, because it goes with everything and flatters my skin tone. Which heels are your favourite?

Sunday, 1 December 2013

I've had a fun lazy weekend of doing nothing useful, because family have been over. I'm telling myself that I'm allowing a short time of relaxation before melting down over my next interview. Just thinking about it makes my guts squirm uncomfortably. Lots of people, I'm sure, are looking forward to Christmas - I'm sure the Oxbridge interviewees are bricking it round about now, too. I'm so glad Oxbridge don't do dentistry, or I'd've felt obliged to apply. I suspect I'm not cut out for those places so it's no loss at all.

Hope you had a good weekend! Here ends this blog's three-hundredth post. Thank you.